Well-drawn, diverse, complex secondary characters can add nuance, humor, and conflict to a novel or short story. This workshop will present different types of secondary characters—beyond merely friends, foes, and foils—and explore how to create them so they sing for themselves while also harmonizing with a main plot line. Using familiar books such as the Harry Potter series and The Queen’s Gambit as sample texts, we draw upon the psychologist Dan McAdams’s concept of the “personal myth” to examine economical ways to develop all three elements of the myth—backstory, world views, and desires—for secondary characters.
Referring to their current work-in-progress, participants will respond to several writing prompts and leave with exercises in hand.
Instructor:
Karen Odden received her Ph.D. in English literature from New York University, writing her dissertation on Victorian literature. She subsequently taught at the UW-Milwaukee and edited and wrote for academic journals before turning to fiction, which she always sets in 1870s London. Her first mystery, A Lady in the Smoke (2016), was a USA Today bestseller, and A Dangerous Duet (2018) and A Trace of Deceit (2019) won awards for historical fiction. Down a Dark River (2021), an Oprah daily pick, introduces readers to Inspector Michael Corravan, a former thief and bare-knuckles boxer. The sequel, Under a Veiled Moon (2022) was nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, and Anthony awards for Best Historical Mystery. Karen serves on the national board for Sisters in Crime and lives in Arizona, where she loves to hike the Sonoran Desert.
